GERMANY | POTSDAM

As you will have seen from my previous post I have been in Berlin. I always try to do an excursions outside of the city when I travel. So for Berlin we decided to venture out to Potsdam. Potsdam, is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg. It directly borders the German capital Berlin and is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region.

We took the train directly from Zoologischer Garten (which was right on our doorstep) to Potsdam Dbf. The average journey time is 24 minutes. Once we arrived at the station we bought some snacks for our day out from a lovely organic store near the exit. We then took a bus from the station to our destination: Sanssouci Palace.

Potsdam itself looks like something out of a Lego town. Everything is so symmetrical and pastel coloured, its also super clean. The bus ride was very quick and only took around 10 minutes.

We loved the roman architecture at the entrance, and it only gets better from there.

As soon as you arrive at the village there is a huge windmill and horses everywhere, it truly felt like we had gone back in time.

We spent roughly two hours discovering the beauty of the Garden.

The fountains were huge and so beautiful. On the pile of ruins to the north of the castle, artificial sections of ruins were grouped into a staffage of the art of the ancient world, which concealed a water basin at the same time. Fountains in the park were to be supplied with water from this. The king was attached above all to the lavish waterworks, which he could only enjoy once in the end, as the system only worked properly after the construction of the steam engine building in the 19th century.

The palace itself is strangely a bungalow layout. All of the rooms are all decorated to a high .Sanssouci is the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam. It is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles.

Highlights include the white and gold Marble Hall reception area, loosely based on the Pantheon in Rome, the many paintings by one of Friedrich’s favourite artists, Antoine Watteau, and the Voltaire Room, with its carvings of birds, flowers and fruits, named after the French philosopher and frequent palace guest. I just fell in love with the gold gilding and the flow of the decor from room to room.

Sandals | Nordstrom

Jeans | Dorothy Perkins

Shirt | H&M 

Cropped Jumper | H&M

Backpack | Nasty Gal

We luckily went when it was quite warm so we enjoyed exploring in the sunlight and I think buying snacks at the train station definitely paid off as there isn't really anywhere to lunch here.

We held hands and jumped in the air, this was the aftermath of our audience laughing at us and then copying our idea... Its a great shot!

My best friends!

Overall we had a wonderful time in Potsdam and I would definitely recommend the excursion if you have the time to fit it in. I suggest going on a warm day and trying to arrive before 12pm otherwise it gets quite busy.

Tips

• The bathrooms in Germany cost money, however unlike England where we have barriers and printed signs here you pay the cleaner in the bathroom or leave the money on a little plate which is normally near the exit. This is NOT a tip, its just the cost of using the lavatory so only pay what you need to.

• Purchase the extra 'photography pass' for the palace, all of the pictures above were taken sneakily and we were told off in pretty much every room because we didn't have one...

• Purchase a group ticket for public transport everywhere you go in Germany, its much cheaper.

• Take snacks and water with you, or purchase before you reach tourist destinations where prices are much higher and choice is limited.